Letters are Different
by PhoebeTheQueenOfDragons
Summary: He'd always know his daughter through the letters she had started sending him when she was five. But when tragedy strike her and she comes to live with him he had to learn that knowing someone from letters is different than in person.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Everyone this is my first Criminal Minds story. This is mainly AU and off cannon. The whole team lives together in Rossi's mansion like cabin, there are no couples Hailey is still alive so Jack lives with her at least for now maybe.**

**I don't own anything but the story line and Rebeca.**

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(Rossi's POV)

It had been another week in the lives of the BAU profiling team. We'd been in Kentucky for most of the week, dealing with a serial rapist. Already running on no sleep we tired to finish our reports on the plan so we could enjoy one of the rare weekends we we're off rotation.

Our team entered the BAU office, close to ten PM it was mostly dim and empty as everyone had started going home for the night. We didn't plane to stay, just long enough to file our reports and not a second longer.

"Baby girl what are you still doing here?" We all looked over at Penelope, she had spent almost as much time awake as we had, and non of us had expected her to still be in. She didn't answer Morgan instead stepping over to me.

"Sir. there's a young woman in your office, she's been there a few days already." We all looked up at my office the light was off inside so we couldn't see the person.

"Did she give you a name?" I was a little weary of going up without any information on the person, I had met one or two fans of my face they could be a little intense.

"No, but she gave me this..." She handed me an old photo "She said you would want to see her, but she didn't seem to confident in the fact. She showed up the day after you guys left. She looks a little beat up I let her stay in your office when she refused to leave but I've been checking on her."

I ran my fingers over the old warn picture. It represented a moment in time that I held close to my heart. I kept an identical one in my home office. This photo was the only one in existence that captured myself and the little girl in it together even after sixteen years.

I felt like a ghost as I made my way up to my office. My mind was running all over the place with questions but the walk from Morgan's desk to my office was a short and I didn't have time to sort them out.

Stepping into my dark office I could just barley make out a sleeping figure on the couch across from my desk, with the the help of the little light coming from the closed blinds.

Not wanting to wake my young visitor I turned on my desk lamp while the others crept into the room closing the door behind them.

The lamps light cast a soft glow over her illuminating her sleeping face and soft brown curls. Unfortunately the light lite up the string of stitches she had along her hair line over her right eyebrow, on one of her smooth left cheek close to her noise, and a brace on her left wrist.

Kneeling down beside her I gently pushed a lock of hair off her face. I could feel a small smile tugging at my lips, last time I had touched her she hadn't had these thick curls, but even after sixteen years, as my fingers grazed her face, she still had that baby soft skin.

"Dave who is she?" Hotch whispered. Looking up at the inquisitive faces of my team mates, I smiled wistfully, even though I knew I was dropping a bomb on them. I had waited a long time to touch and see this girl again.

"Rebeca my daughter."

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**Okay I hope you guys like this first chapter please review. Updates wont be often, I'm hoping for once a month so stay with me.**


	2. Chapter 2

For all of you who have reviewed or added me to your alert list. Thank you.

*9^

Questions started to bombard me, anything you would expect to come at you when you reveal to your friends/family that you have a daughter they never knew about. I was trying to find a way to calm them all down so I could answer their questions when I felt Rebeca stir under my hands.

She started running her hands over her face then suddenly she shot into a sitting position. I started rubbing my hands up and down her arms to try and keep her calm. "JJ would you turn on the light?" As the light in the room flickered on we all had to shut our eyes for a moment then let the adjust. Rebeca was first as she looked down at me still kneeling in front of her.

"Dad?" She spoke with a thick sleep strangled Italian accent. I knew she'd spent most of her life in Italy but that was something I never really considered when I tried to picture her after all her letters held no discernible accent at all.

"Nightingale why are you here?" I was worried in sixteen years I had not seen her, neither of us had broached the subject and then out of the blue she shows up and in the state she was in. But I didn't get an answer as she threw her arms around me hugging me tight. I knew then that even if she didn't know my voice she knew the endearment she had once told me only I called her.

She let go of me and sat back on the couch but now she wouldn't look at me so placing a gentle hand under her chin I lifter her eyes to mine. "Rebeca why are you here?" I asked more firmly this time. She pushed her hair back from her face before she answered.

"I need a place to stay for a little while just until I can figure out what I'm going to do I had no place else to go." I was in a way expecting her answer but at the same time I wasn't so it took me a moment but before I would answer standing and grabbing a large suite case I hadn't seen. "Its alright I'm sorry I bothered you. I'll wright soon." I practicably feel over as I grabbed onto her hand as she passed. There was no way I was going to let her go and not see her again for another sixteen years I'm old I probably don't have that long.

"Nightingale you didn't have me a chance to answer." She helped me up to my feet and waited for me to continue. "I would love for you to stay with me for however long you would like." She visible relaxed "But you have me scared to death here please tell me what's going on."

She nodded then looked over at everyone else in the room as if seeing them for the first time. I could tell she was trying to place their faces then she smiled. I'd sent her a photo once of all of us together so she could place faces to names and she did.

"Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, Emily Prentiss , Penelope Garcia, Jennifer Jareau (JJ) and Aaron Hotchner (Hotch)." She said pointing to each correctly as she said it. "Its a pleasure."

"We seem to have a disadvantage you know who we are but we don't know you." Aaron spoke for them.

"Rebeca Rossi" She introduced herself.

"Wait not the Rebeca Rossi, The world renown music composer?" Emily was a fan of classical music so looked almost giddy

"Or the professor?" Reid pipped up.

Rebeca let a ghost of a smile pass over her face "Both actually."

My panic lessened a bit as I saw she was calm enough to interact with them as if she had only come for a short visit and not out of the blue asking to stay but being the FBI Agent that I was I couldn't just let this go with out answers. Putting my hand on her shoulder and turned her to me. "Rebeca please tell me whats going on."

Sighing she nodded again, gathered her long hair and pulled it over her left shoulder as if it was some kind of nervous tic, then she sat back on the couch.

"A few weeks a go there was an accident, hence the bumps and bruises." She tried to laugh at the last part lifting her arm and pointing at her face.

"My dad didn't make it." Her voice quivered and I flinched at hearing her call someone else dad, she'd never done it in her letters. "I was in the hospital for a few weeks, and mom came to see me its how I found out about dad but then she stopped showing up and she wouldn't answer my calls-"

"You think your mom is missing?" Morgan cut in.

"No not at all. My mother is grieving we all handle that differently and sometimes we taking it out on the people close to us. The relationship between my mother and I is complicated but I expect this from her. She pushes people away when she's hurt. I wanted to give her space."

I could tell there was more to the story she was shaking a bit and fiddling with her hair but we could all tell that she want nothing more to do with the subject. Maybe I would broach at another time but for now I was happy she was here and safe.

"Why don't we get you home and settle I think we all need some rest." JJ yawned as she spoke moving to get Rebeca's bag. We all headed out ready for a good night sleep a new member of our house hold close beside me.

I didn't really know what my ex-wife had done or was going but till she calmed down enough to let our daughter back into her life I would take advantage of the time I was given to bother figure out the rest of the story and to get to know my daughter better.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for your reviews and adding me to your alerts. If I haven't said this before this is an AU story.

I don't own anything but the story line, Rebbecca and any other characters that you won't see in the show.

^9*

In the week that passed with Rebbecca in the house my worries hadn't eased. I knew from her letters that she wasn't generally a quite child but she hadn't spoken much more than good mornings and how was your days. She didn't leave the house except to take walks with muggie around the land.

I knew she wasn't completely withdrawing from the shock from the accident because every time we came home beautiful music could be heard from the music room but she stopped every time she realized someone was home. Every night she played a game of chess which Reid which he complained about profusely everyday at work because he hadn't won one game since they started playing. And Hotch had informed me that he had seen her in the middle of the night on the kitchen counter.

Thats why when I walked into the kitchen Saturday morning I had to double take to make sure I wasn't finally going crazy. She was standing with a cup of coffee by the sliding glass doors looking out at the back yard garden which was at its peak summer bloom.

For a moment I stood at the entry of the kitchen and just watched her still not believing that my five month old little baby girl had grown into this mysterious young lady.

"Morning Nightingale." Startled she almost dropped her coffee mug she cast her eyes down before scurrying over the the sink rinsed out her mug and placed it in the dishwasher.

"I'm sorry I didn't think anyone will be up at this hour I'll get out of your way." I grabbed her arm gently as she skirted passed me.

"Rebbecca your not in anyones way. One this house is two big for anyone to be in anyones way. And Two we want you here especially me. So please stop hiding and come have breakfast with me." She was hesitant at first but then she gave in. Smiling I led her over to breakfast table.

"What would you like to eat?"

"It anything is fine. I normally just grab some coffee and run."

"Sounds familiar." I laughed as I started a large batter of pancakes after starting up the coffee maker. The others would be down soon.

"What's your normal Sunday routine?" She seemed to have spaced out again but recovered quickly.

"I don't have one."

"That can't be true everyone has one. Emily for instants likes to spend her Sundays reading on a good day like today she'll do it out in the garden. JJ and Penelope like to go shopping. I don't know why but they do. Reid will go to a museum, book signing, or Sunday lecture if its a nice day if not He'll spend the day watching PPS and Discovery."

That made her laugh I assumed she could picture it. Just than Morgen walked into the room and straight for the coffee with out so much as a word.

"As you can guess from the gym close thats were Morgen will spend most of his day before coming home and crashing on the couch to bug the hell out of poor Reid."

"The second half of my day is what I enjoy the most." Morgen laughed after gulping down some of his coffee and taking a seat with Rebbecca.

"Hotch sadly will spend most of his day working. I swear to god the man will die over and FBI file."

"I'd like to think I'd have the prescience of mind to go to the hospital if I'm having a heart attack."

Hotch commented as he walked in I pointed with a spatula at the file he was carrying and said no more. Morgen on the other hand couldn't help himself.

"Thats because you'll bring a file or two with you. Its only eight and your already at it." Hotch said nothing while he pored himself coffee and sat with them.

"And I reserve my Sundays to work in the study writing my latest book. So I ask again what is your Sunday routine."

Rebbecca hesitated for a moment before a ghost of a smile appeared on her face. "Breakfast. Every Sunday morning my step-dad and I would go out for breakfast. Then sometimes we would just wander around the city. But most times we would just go home and spend the day in his study while we both worked."

Now I felt bad for asking. Non of us said anything for a moment and we didn't have to when the girls came down chattering up a storm Reid not far behind.

For a long while there was a buzz of activity as coffee was served and conversations started. That was until someone started to ring the door bell and knock franticly.

"I'll get it." Reid jumped up trying to get away from Penelope and Morgen who were teasing him about something. I hadn't caught what but the boy hated craziness so it wouldn't matter if there was an ax murder at the door at least he could handle that.

The knocking and ringing stopped "Hey!" we heard Reid yell before someone stormed into the kitchen in a blur of movement like he owned the place.

"You must have finally snapped!"


End file.
